The Mind of the Tainted
by Jupiter-Lightning
Summary: The Keyblade Master and the rest of the gang are yet again thrown into an adventure of epic porportions, but is this journey more than they bargained for? And who is this mysterious group known as the Tainted? Only time will tell... Discontinued.
1. Prologue

**Alas! It has been a very long time since I've written fanfiction. I'm quite nervous about writing this, actually. This fanfic actually started out as an online roleplay and gradually it became quite entertaining and very good. I decided that it was time for it to become a fanfiction, though a lot of it may not exactly be like the actual roleplay, but you won't be able to tell now will you? **

**Secondly, may I add that this was actually started back in December, WAY before any new information about the now-not-as-mysterious-anymore Birth by Sleep trailer featured in KH2, so nothing pertaining to the new games will be in the fanfiction, so I guess this shall be considered AU. But it is still enjoyable nonetheless!**

* * *

_**Kingdom Hearts: The Mind of the Tainted**_

_Prologue_

It was a clam and chilly night in the world known as Traverse Town. The world almost always a calm place, but then there were certainly _plenty_ of times when it wasn't. This particular night was definitely one of them...

Roaming around the town was an enigmatic figure who lurked within the shadows; not daring to enter the lighted aread which was due to the many lampposts. It was as if this person didn't want to be seen at all. Not that there would be anyone to see anyway on account of not a single soul in the second district. However, this figure thought otherwise. Perhaps they were looking for someone or something?

Suddenly, the figure stopped and let out a small sigh as they finally stepped into the light. A weapon was held in the man's right hand. It was a weapon that almost any creature - living or non - knew of. It was a _Keyblade_. The weapon was quickly dismissed by its wielder, who looked awfully frustrated about something. He closed his eyes as if he was desperately trying to pinpoint something distant, but to no avail.

After whispering a small curse, he regained his composure, and with a small chuckle, he said, "I can hear it whispering, but I cannot find its _body_. I know that you're around here somewhere. I _will_ find you eventually."

His lips curled into a sinister smirk as he ran a hand through his unruly, auburn hair, before making his way through the district once more.

* * *

"Wow. It hasn't changed one bit," a familiar, spiky-haired young man stated just as the large doors opened to reveal the town. 

Once he and the other two standing by him had entered the middle of the plaza, he came to an abrupt stop and gazed around with his cerulean orbs before turning to his two comrades.

"Wouldn't you agree, Riku?" he added.

The tallest of the group - Riku - nodded. "I figured it hadn't, Sora" he replied in his typical, unenthused tone.

The girl had turned to Sora with a questioning look on her face. "So, where do we start exactly?"

Sora made a clicking sound, thinking. He soon replied, "Well, I don't think he's around here. Let's check out the second and third districts. This should be a breeze!"

The auburn haired girl giggled softly. "Now don't get _too_ cocky like Riku, Sora," she teased.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Riku asked, raising a brow in confusion.

Kairi sighed. "Nothing, nothing."

The silver haired teen rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just find who we're supposed to be looking for so we can head back to the castle. The sooner we get to the bottom of this whole mess the better."

The trio nodded to one another before sprinting off into the second district.

* * *

_Akira..._

"What do you want?"

_Akira..._

"Please, just leave me alone..."

_AKIRA!_

"No!" Startled, she jolted awake, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. "No..." she breathed out, gazing at the surroundings in front of her. This didn't seem right. Not at all.

"This... this isn't my room," she mumbled.

She wasn't laying against a wall in what seemed to be an alleyway. The expression on the young woman's face was proof that she was incredibly confused as to what was happening. Several questions began running swiftly through her mind, trying to put the pieces together, but nothing was coming to her, and she panicked.

_'Everything's fine. You're fine.'_

The girl jumped in fright. "Who's there?" she called out, but nothing answered. That was odd. She could have sworn that she had heard someone speaking to her.

_'Don't be afraid. You're safe, but not for long. You need to leave this place if you want to live any longer. Stand up.'_

She complied. However, she still was as confused as could be. She slowly began to standing, her knees buckling a bit, until she regained her balance. She let out a small groan. Her whole entire body was sore. It almost felt as if every single bone in her body was broken and she didn't even understand why.

Once she was completely standing without the support of the wall, she ran a hand through her long, raven colored hair, and as she did so, she felt a rather large bump. She looked at her hand, revealing blood. "Oh-" She never finished her sentence. Instead, she gazed up, feeling a dark presence near.

_'You're fine. Hurry!'_

The voice startled her once again and without thinking she began running as fast as she could away from the alleyway. Where she was headed, she didn't quite know, but she hoped wherever her feet were taking her somewhere safe.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. However, there are OCs that belong to me and veritasthetruth.**

**Please, read and review. I would really appreciate constructive criticism.**


	2. Encounters

**_Chapter One:_**

**_Encounters_**

"This is hopeless," Sora sighed in agitation. "Maybe we should just look elsewhere. It's obvious that he's not here…"

Riku gazed over at his best friend as they made their way into the third district. He was actually surprised that Sora was the first to let out a pessimistic comment. Usually that was something the silver-haired man was famous for.

"Let's just keep looking. We're bound to find something," he said. "Anyway, the King said that this would be the best place to look, so I'm betting this is probably the only place we'll even find anything. I doubt that he, of all people, would be wrong about something like this."

"Riku's right," Kairi nodded in agreement. "We haven't even really started looking yet. Just walking aimlessly around like a lost group of kids isn't going to do us much good. Maybe we should go to that hotel, or maybe we can get some tips from some of the shop owners?" she suggested.

Sora looked down and kicked a random pebble as he thought. "We should split up, guys. That would make things much easier I bet."

Riku was about to reply. Instead, he came to an abrupt stop. This caused Sora and Kairi to stop as well with confused expressions on their faces.

Sora blinked a couple of times. "What's the matter?" he asked. Riku held up his left hand to silence him.

He looked around cautiously, taking a couple of small steps before summoning his Keyblade, Way to Dawn. "I have a feeling that something's watching us," he finally managed to say.

Sora looked around. Of course, it was dead silent in the district that they were in. It had always been this way, so it was nothing new to him. The silence was a bit unnerving, and it really didn't surprise him if a Heartless were to pop up at any given second. He signaled Kairi to draw her Blade before he, too, drew his own.

"I'm sure everything's fine," he began, "but just in case it's not we should be on our guard. So, are we going to split up or not?"

Riku shook his head. "I don't think there's any need to. I have a feeling that we're closer than we think we actually are. Come on," he said, walking forward once again.

Sora followed as well, but Kairi continued to stand there. She turned her head slightly, sighting what looked like shadowy figures crawling across the ground. She let out a gasp. "You guys!" she exclaimed.

"I knew it," Riku responded, raising Way to Dawn as the Shadow Heartless appeared.

* * *

To him, it was a game of cat and mouse. They were everywhere. This game was getting very interesting with every single step he took. Their whispers were strong. They were all in his clutches, however, it wouldn't be fun if they were all ambushed and defeated that easily, no. There was a purpose to be fulfilled and the only thing that stood in _their_ way this very moment were those blasted shadows lurking about, and he wasn't feeling very generous. He had a task of his own to be taken care of. The others would be dealt with in due time. 

He gazed up, seeing her in view; the girl. Fear was evident in her eyes even from a far distance, and that voice surrounding her was just as frantic, a little _too_ frantic. However, at least the girl was alive and well. He would have killed his comrade if she had ended up dead.

"You're still not getting off that easily, Fury," he muttered under his breath right before the girl spotted him in the middle of the first district.

She stopped abruptly, staring at the man in pure horror. She took a couple of steps back, but he remained in the same spot with a triumph look on his face. "Y-You," she whispered.

"Me? Have we met, dear?" he questioned in a low, spine-chilling tone.

"Quit trying to confuse me," she snapped. "You might- you might have clocked me in the back of the head good," she said, her hand instantly touching the back of her head, feeling the knot, "but that doesn't mean I have amnesia or anything. Now tell me… Who are you and where did you take me?"

"Demanding, are we? I'm afraid I've never met you in my life and I haven't taken you anywhere. You're obviously quite oblivious as to what might have happened to you, dear. Your world… has probably been destroyed." The shock in her violet orbs was quite hysterical to him.

"M-my world?" she asked.

"There's more to the universe than just your poor and pitiful world, girl. Don't forget that. I'm afraid, though, that I cannot help you much more than that. Perhaps you should ask that mysterious _Blade_ you wield," he added, his eyes narrowing with interest.

"My… what?" she muttered softly. "I don't understand what you're talking about. Make some sense, would ya?"

_Don't._

He smiled. "It really isn't that difficult to comprehend. You do remember that power, don't you? You hold a mighty power. You honestly don't remember it surging through your veins, and that weapon… You don't remember that weapon?"

_Don't listen._

He gazed at her, watching as her anger built up. His comrade had told him that there was something about the anger; the rage within her. It was the anger of another entity within her. This was intriguing. All he had to do was add more fuel to the fire.

"Why don't you just leave me alone? I've done nothing to you. Just tell me where I am, where my family is…"

"I will if you show me the _Blade_. It's not going to kill you or anything and neither am I," he said calmly. "Not yet, at least." This was the final straw for her.

She let out an agitated cry and something began to materialize in her hand. Her eyes narrow on him, holding it tightly within her hand. There were mixed emotions in those violet irises. He studied her as if she were some sort of experiment before a smile appeared on his face.

He walked toward her and she instantly swung the Blade at him, but he caught it with his hand in a blink of an eye and sent her flying backwards. She landed flat on her back and stared at him angrily. He chuckled slightly.

"Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, something began glowing in his hand and a weapon, just like hers, appeared. "We have a lot in common, you know. There are only a few differences between us, one of them being that I could kill you in a heartbeat if I wanted to, but I'm not going to do that."

"What do you want?" she said through clenched teeth, beginning to stand up.

"They need your help," he replied simply. "If you want to find the answers you see, they are with _them_. They're just beyond that door right over there. I suggest you hurry."

Before she could say anything else, the man dissolved like some sort of apparition. She was left in the middle of the district alone. Everything was beginning to sink into her mind.

* * *

"Good. Now that that's taken care of, let's get going again," the Keyblade Master said after catching his breath. 

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Sora," Riku stated, pointing toward something. There were more appearing, but the odd thing was, they were enemies that the trio had never seen before.

"Are those Nobodies?" Kairi asked, preparing for yet another fray.

"I don't think so…" Sora said.

"You're right about that, _Keybearer__," _a female voice sneered. The trio looked around, but there wasn't anyone in sight, just the beings that stood before them.

"I would take them seriously if I were you, too," another said which sounded more masculine.

"Show yourselves!" Riku shouted.

"Ah, what's the fun in showing ourselves? It ruins the surprise if you ask me," the masculine voice said. "Besides, we were instructed not to. V-"

"Shut it!" the feminine voice snapped. "You shouldn't be worried about us. Right now, you should be more concerned about defeating our little pets here."

Riku rolled his eyes. "We have better things to do than fighting your little _pets_."

The feminine voice laughed. "We know you do, and we're trying to spoil your little mission. Attack!"

The new creatures leaped at the three in a swift motion. There was no time for them to react, but time, however, seemed to freeze. Sora was the first to realize that nothing was happening. He stared in surprise at the person standing right in front of him and his two friends, and a few of the creatures diminishing into nothingness.

"Impossible…" he exclaimed.

What they had come in search for had actually come to _them_. It was the _other_ Keybearer…

* * *

**A/N: A bit confusing to say the least, but of course it's only the first chapter. I'm actually proud how this has turned out since I've practically been slaving over it. Now as I like to say, constructive cristicism is appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this! **

**Disclaimer: I'm only putting the disclaimer in the prologue on account of me being too lazy to type it up in the rest of the chapters. Haha... Ha...**

**PLEASE R&R!**


	3. The King's Predicament and a Reunion

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**The King's Predicament and a Reunion  
**_

The King of Disney Castle paced around his study, anticipating the arrival of the Keybearers. Their small mission was taking much longer than he expected it to take. He hoped that there had been no trouble, though he was assured over and over again that there wouldn't be. He hoped that no one had been injured. That was the last thing this universe needed…

"Mickey?" a voice called out.

At the sound of the door opening, Mickey stopped abruptly and turned to see his beloved wife, Queen Minnie, standing in the doorway. She had a worried expression on her face as she slowly made her way in. "Mickey, is everything okay?" she questioned.

"I haven't heard anything from them yet. It's taking longer than I expected," King Mickey replied. "I'm sure they're fine, though."

Minnie sighed. "I wasn't really asking about them, but I do hope that they're safe as well." She paused and studied the King's confused expression before chuckling slightly and continuing on. "What I meant was, are _you_ okay? There's something going on I know it, but what is it? You're starting to disappear around here without any word as to where you are. I don't mean to pry, but is there something going on that is disrupting the balance?"

"Whatever gave you that idea? Everything's fine… for now at least… Gosh, I don't really know myself. I just got word from a… friend. They said that we should start preparing," Mickey explained.

"Preparing? For what?" the queen inquired.

"I don't have a clue, but I've been assure that it's necessary to assemble them… before it's too late. Something must be happening. You needn't worry though, Minnie. I'm sure everything will be okay."

"The how are you going to explain yourself to Sora and the others?" said the voice of none other than Donald Duck, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. He made his way in followed by his long-time friend and comrade Goofy.

"That's what I'm thinking about now as we speak. I was told to send them off to look for someone; someone who is of great importance somehow. That's all of the information that I received."

"Gawrsh. This sounds mighty serious," Goofy exclaimed.

"I'm positive that it is," Mickey agreed. "I just hope they're ready for whatever lies ahead. I'm afraid that I may not be able to help as much this time around."

* * *

"Well, that was actually pretty easy," Sora said with a grin before gazing over at the girl who had helped them out. "Well, it looks like our wild goose chase had officially ended. By the way, I'm Sora. This is Kairi and this is Riku," he added, pointing to his two friends.

The girl stared at the three, out of breath and very exhausted. The three of them continued to stare, waiting for her to state her name to them.

"Um. Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"I'm-I'm," she began, but she winced in pain, touching the back of her head before falling forward and hitting the ground, leaving them baffled.

"That's not good," Kairi said worriedly, kneeling down. She extended her right hand out and pressed it against the other girl's forehead.

"No fever, that's a good thing at least," she finally said, standing back up. "It may just be exhaustion. The hotel is right over there, actually. Maybe we should take her there and hang out for awhile until she wakes up?"

* * *

"Gawrsh. This place hasn't changed one bit has it, Donald?" The king's guard, known as Goofy Goof, stated to his comrade as they walked down the cobble stoned streets of Traverse Town.

"Something's kind of _off_ about it, which is the perfect place for Sora and his friends to be. The king said this was the best place to look," the mage replied once they had entered the second district. "And I'm sure they're at the hotel. Come on, Goofy," he finished, his pace quickening toward said place.

Donald entered, Goofy right behind him, and looked down the hallways. He tapped one of his webbed feet, thinking.

Goofy blinked. "What's the matter, Donald?" he questioned.

"Which room do you think they'd be in?" Donald replied.

Before Goofy could reply, one of the doors suddenly opened, and out came Sora. Donald made a sound as he and Goofy ran up to him, almost tackling him down one the ground. Sora gasped slightly before realization hit him. Surprised, he slowly stood back up with the help of his friends.

"Hey, this is quite a surprise," he said, tilting his head to the side. "What are you two doing here?"

"The king sent us out to find you – told us that Traverse Town was probably the best place to look," Goofy replied.

"He thought you all were taking too long. He was starting to get worried," Donald added in.

Sora nodded and gave a small shrug. "Yeah, well, we ran into a few bumps here and there…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Why don't you two come inside? I have a feeling we're going to be here for a bit longer. Plus, I'm sure Kairi and Riku would be happy to see you."

* * *

Just like Sora, Kairi and Riku seemed surprised as well to see Donald and Goofy. Riku chuckled softly, leaning up against the wall and folding his arms.

"The king was expecting us sooner," he stated knowingly. "I knew we should have sent out a message or something."

Sora shrugged, turning to Donald and Goofy, and pointing. "That's kind of the reason why if you hadn't noticed."

On the bed, lay the same girl from the events that occurred earlier. She was still unconscious, though she was in much better condition thanks to Curaga spells and a couple of potions. Donald and Goofy looked away from the girl and their gaze came upon a Keyblade leaning up against wall not too far from the bed.

"Mission accomplished," Sora laughed nervously. "But she's hurt, and who knows when she'll wake up. We still have to explain some things, too," he finished, groaning inwardly.

"Gawrsh. At least we have the extra help now," Goofy said, rubbing his nose. "We'll head back to the ship and contact the king. I'm sure he can wait a little bit longer."

Sora nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan, Goofy." He watched silently as both Donald and Goofy left the room before plopping back down in one of the vacant chairs. "Hopefully, we'll be out of here before anything bad happens…"

* * *

**A/N: Ack! Sorry about the incredibly long wait. I've actually been working on the chapter on and off since I last updated. I originally had two versions of it written and I wasn't sure which one to use, so I just combined the two. I'm sorry to say, but this is a filler chapter... On the bright side, school is getting ready to end soon (Yay!), so perhaps I'll have more time to write and update. I am determined to finish this no matter how long it takes me. **

**As always, please read and review!**


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